Caltrans speeds up $6 million drainage project along Highway 49

Caltrans added nearly 1,200 lane miles of pavement repair and 66 bridges to its growing list of projects to be delivered sooner than planned thanks to the imminent influx of revenue from the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB 1), the transportation funding and reform package passed in April.

To date, according to a news release, Caltrans has now expedited nearly $5 billion in "fix-it-first" projects since the spring.

Among those projects is a $6 million drainage project will repair culverts along Highway 49 49 from the Nevada/Placer County line to north of Lime Kiln Road in Nevada County, and along Highway 49 at Fresh Air Lane and Lone Star Road in Placer County.

"Years of unfunded maintenance needs have plagued our roadways, so Caltrans is expediting projects with the expectation of SB 1 funds coming in November," said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. "We are lining up projects that are going to deliver real results for all users of the state transportation system."

This latest approval of 90 major "fix-it-first" transportation projects, worth nearly $3.4 billion, are part of a list Caltrans submitted to the California Transportation Commission (Commission) that was voted on at the Commission's October meeting.

Improvements to be made by these projects include improving or replacing 66 bridges; rehabilitating nearly 1,200 lane miles of pavement on highways across the state; repairing more than 300 culverts and drainage systems; and installing nearly 2,400 elements that are part of traffic management systems that help manage traffic and reduce congestion.

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Other projects that received funding allocations were:

· Interstate 80 (I-80) Placer County: $5.4 million drainage project will repair culverts along Interstate 80 from Secret Town Overcrossing to the Gold Run Safety Roadside Rest Area in Placer County.

· Interstate 5 (I-5) Sacramento County: $247.2 million bridge project will improve truck carrying capacity at the South Connector Undercrossing on Interstate 5 from U.S. Highway 50 to I-80, and the American River Viaduct on I-5 in the city of Sacramento.

· Interstate 5 (I-5) Sacramento County: $156.8 million bridge project will strengthen the roadway to improve truck carrying capacity at the West End Viaduct on I-5 in the city of Sacramento to allow permit loads.

· Interstate 5 (I-5) and State Highway 160 (SR-160) Sacramento County: $5 million project will install ramp meters on Interstate 5 at the I-5/State Route 99 interchange connector ramps, and on SR-160 at the eastbound SR-51 (Business 80) /SR-160 interchange connector ramp in the city of Sacramento.

· U.S. Highway 50 (Hwy 50) Sacramento and El Dorado County: $7 million project will install over 12 miles of fiber optic cable and a new Intelligent Transportation System on Highway 50 from Sunrise Boulevard in Sacramento County to the Sacramento/El Dorado County line, and on US-50 from the Sacramento/El Dorado County line to Silva Valley Parkway in El Dorado County.

· Interstate 5 (I-5) Yolo County: $18.3 million bridge project will increase vertical clearance to improve freight movement on I-5 at the Wye Line Road Overcrossing, County Road 6 Overcrossing, and County Line Road Overcrossing in Yolo County.

· Interstate 5 (I-5) Yolo and Colusa County: $22.5 million bridge project that will increase vertical clearance to improve freight movement on I-5 at the County Road 96 Overcrossing, County Road 95 Overcrossing and Zamora Overcrossing in Yolo County, and on I-5 at the E Street Overcrossing and Lurline Avenue Overcrossing in Colusa County.

The projects authorized today come on the heels of more than $285 million in accelerated existing highway repair projects announced earlier in July, and nearly $901 million in "fix-it-first" projects in August.

SB 1 provides an ongoing funding increase of approximately $1.8 billion annually for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the state highway system, including $400 million specifically for bridges and culverts. SB 1 funds will enable Caltrans to fix more than 17,000 lane miles of pavement, 500 bridges and 55,000 culverts by 2027. Caltrans will also fix 7,700 traffic operating systems, like ramp meters, traffic cameras and electric highway message boards that help reduce highway congestion.

Caltrans is committed to conducting its business in a fully transparent manner and detailing its progress to the public. For complete details on SB 1, visit http://www.rebuildingca.ca.gov/.